Wrapped sliced bread and method of making the same



June'2l, 1932. E. LA BOMBARD ET AL 1,364,493

WRAPPED SLICED BREAD AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME J51 ve 71%0 715 L607? zlafiorf/ ard Patented June 21. 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON E. LA BOMBARD, OF WALTHAM, AND MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM, OF NEWTON VILLE,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO SPECIALTY CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF MASSACHUSETTS WRAPPED SLICED BREAD AND METHOD OF MAHING THE SAME Application filed September 5, 1929. Serial No. 390,573.

This invention relates to the preservation of food, and has particular reference to wrapped sliced loaves of bread.

widely practiced custom at present is to deposit completely sliced loaves in shallow open-top trays, and then wrap each complete assemblage of slices and the holding tray in waxed paper.

Naturally, a sliced loaf can not be properly deposited in or on a tray as easily as could be effected if the loaf were not sliced. And

when a customer removes some of the slices, after necessarily removing the wrapper or partly opening it, those slices which remain in or on the tray fall somewhat apart. Then, if the remaining slices are to be kept in proper condition by protecting them from the atmosphere, they must be closed together before effecting a snug re-enclosing of such un-used slices in the wrapper. I

One of the objects of the present invention is to facilitate Wrapping of sliced loaves of bread or other articles of food, by ensuring retention of the slices snugly together while being wrapped.

Another object is to provide wrapped sliced food more economically than when holding trays are employed.

Another object is to supply consumers with wrapped sliced food in-suchcondition as to enable some of the slices to be removed from the wrapper without disarranging the remaining slices, thereby materially reducing liability of the remaining slices becoming affected by the atmosphere.

With such objects in view, the invention consists in the articles and the method of producing the same, substantiallyas hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken out, of a completely wrapped loaf, and with the retainer of our invention applied vertically.

Figure 2 is a similar View but illustrating the article in a condition when a consumer has removed some of the slices.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, omitting the wrapper, and illustrating a horizontal application of the retainer.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but illustrating that the retainer may consist of a. plurality of members instead of a single strip or band.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts or features in all of the views.

For the sake of brevity of description, the invention will be explained as relating to the preservation of bread, but it is to be understood that by the terms loaf and bread, we do not limit ourselves to such specific articles of food.

The drawing illustrates a loaf of bread cut into slices (1, with strips orbands 6 contacting with edge portions of the slices, and an outer enclosing wrapper c, the latter, however, being illustrated in but two of the figures. Such wrapper, usually of waxed paper, is omitted from the other figures in order to better illustrate the coaction of the slice-retaining bands with the slices.

In carrying out our invention, the loaf is first sliced, a band or bands I) then applied as presently described, and the whole enclosed in a wrapper c, this being the condition in which the article is supplied to a consumer.

The band or strip 5, or a plurality of them, preferably consists of fairly thin .paper, but may be of cloth or string or any other suitable material, has means for causing it to adhere to the edge crusts of the slices. this purpose flour paste may be used or any other material such as paste made from starch obtained from sweet potatoes or tapioca adhesive. When the adhesion is to be obtained by an adhesive it is, of course. desirable that such adhesive shall not possess an objectionable flavor if any of it adheres to the crusts of slices which are removed and consumed.

After the loaf is cut into slices, the strip or band 7) is carried around the loaf-shaped assemblage of slices and secured in fairly taut condition. Its ends may be overlapped and adhesively secured. The slices are thereby held snugly together so that the assemblage can be readily enclosed in a wrapper 0 either manually or by any wrapping machine. The act of wrapping ensures sufficient pressure of the band against the crust portions of the slices to effect sufiicient ad- 'by Figures 1 and 2, or around the-sides as illustrated by Figure 3. And it may be continuous or it may be in sections as illustrated by Figure 4. Itis not necessary, although preferable, that the strip shall. be continuous and with overlapping ends, because of the fact that it adheres to the crusts of the slices, and therefore said slices will remain close together even if the strip does not extend entirely around the sliced loaf including the endsthereof. In either case, and whatever may be the material of which the member or members I) is composed, the slices are held snugly together by a retainer to which the crusts of the slices adhere.

When such an article as illustrated by Figure 1 reaches a user, the latter may open one end of the wrapper, (Fig. 2) break the strip 6 if one of a continuous type has been used, and remove some of the slices. The inner surface of the strip where slices have been removedpsually has particles of the bread crust adhering thereto as illustrated at d in Figure 2. In fact, in practice, when slices are removed, little or none of the adhesive remains on the slices which are separated from the assemblage.

The removal of some of the slices does not disarrange the remaining slices because opposite edge portions of the latter have portions of the strip adhering thereto. Therefore the remaining slices can instantly be re-enclosed in the wrapper; or, if the first opening has torn the original wrapper too much, the undesired slices are-readily handled, while in adhering relationship to the strip or pieces bf it, while being enclosed in a fresh wrapper. Or they may be put in any suitable container without a wrapper because the slices will not fall apart but will remain snugly together.

The band or strip 6 has been referred to as consisting of -adhesively-coated paper or other suitable material. v Such other suitable material may be a stripe of adhesive alone, such as flour or starch paste, applied directly to the sides of the loaf.

It will now be understood that it is the connecting of the individual slices together that not only first facilitates the wrapping operation but also, later, enables a user to remove some slices without disarranging the others.

While the practice of our invention renders it unnecessary to use trays such as We have referred to-as at present in use, all of the advantages which we have explained (except that of economy) will still exist if trays are employed in addition to such slice-engaging members as we have described.

terial adhesively connected to opposite edges of the slices.

4. The method of preserving bread in a form convenient for users, consisting in cutting a loaf into slices, and then applying adhesive band material thereto to hold the slices in close relationship whereby opposite edges of the slices will stick to said band material.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures.

- LEO-N E. LA BOMBARD.

MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM. 

